2/17/24
 
SCRANTON, Pa. – Lackawanna College wrestling saved some of its best for last, capturing three of the final four individual championships and placing fourth overall at the 2024 NJCAA Gulf Atlantic District Wrestling Tournament on Saturday afternoon inside a packed Lackawanna College Student Union gymnasium.
 
The Falcons qualified six total wrestlers for the national tournament, and, for the second straight season, three advanced as champions of their respective weight classes.
 
The first champion crowned for Lackawanna was John Koroma (First Year; Woodbridge, VA) at 174 lbs. Koroma won his quarterfinal bout by a pin just 1:12 into the match, then beat back Sussex County CC's Shawn Powlowski with an impressive 20-4 technical fall win to reach the championship bout. In the final, Koroma cruised by Garrett College's Tyberious Clayton in a 21-6 technical fall win to secure the title.
 
At 197 lbs., Simeone Hunte (Sophomore; Burlington Twp, NJ) scored a pin inside of 30 seconds to start his afternoon in the quarterfinals, then took the semi-final with a narrow 8-4 decision over Davian Waite from Thaddeus Stevens. In the championship, Hunte broke open a tight contest with Michaels Marin from Bergen CC with some takedowns late in the bout, eventually winning 10-3 to take home the 197 lbs. championship.
 
Finally, to close out the afternoon, Shannon Clark (Sophomore; Scranton, PA) got his chance to avenge last year, where he fell in the championship round at 285 lbs. Two victories by pin put Clark in the final against un-seeded Peyton Wentzel from Thaddeus Stevens. Wentzel had upset a few wrestlers to get here, and pushed Clark early, but the heavyweight from Lackawanna ripped Wentzel down with a takedown to break open a scoring drought early in the second, then ripped off points left and right to eventually take a major decision win at 18-4 to capture the championship.
 
Elsewhere, the Falcons earned a second-place finish at 165 lbs. when Dylan Hogan (Sophomore; Bushkill, PA) advanced into the championship round before falling to Cole Pfeufer from Bergen CC. Hogan's finish gave him an automatic qualification. Felix Mendez (Sophomore; Pittston, PA) earned a fifth-place finish, going 3-2 on the day and winning the fifth-place bout with a late fall victory against Sauzer Ayoub from Bergen CC. That run for Mendez also gave him an automatic qualification for the national tournament.
 
Edward Lauritsen (First Year; Brodheadsville, PA) finished sixth at 125 lbs., falling short to Hunter Fulp from Patrick and Henry CC by a 9-2 decision. Lauritsen was awarded a wild card spot, however, meaning he was also qualified for the national tournament.
 
Anthony D'Angelis (Sophomore; Dade City, FL) also competed for the Falcons, wrestling at 141 lbs., but ultimately fell in both of his matches.
 
The team championship was captured by Sussex County CC, which had 99.5 team points, on the backs of three individual champions, plus finishes in third place, fourth place, and fifth place in the tournament. Garrett College was second with 90.5 team points, while Bergen CC finished third with 88, and Lackawanna finished fourth at 87. The Falcons tied with Sussex for the most individual champions with three.
 
All-in-all, Lackawanna will send six wrestlers to the NJCAA Wrestling Championships, happening on March 1^st and 2^nd at the Mid-America Center in Council Bluffs, Iowa. Five Falcons were automatic qualifiers, with a sixth being chosen as a wild car selection. It's the second straight season that Lackawanna will send six wrestlers to the national tournament.
 
Full results involving Lackawanna college wrestlers from Saturday are below.
 
125
Qtrs: Yasin Carter (Camden) def. Edward Lauritsen (LC) by tech. fall (24-8)
Consy: Edward Lauritsen (LC) def. James Bounds (Garrett) by fall (5:43)
Consy Semis: Jacob McDonald (RCSJ Gloucester) def. Edward Lauritsen (LC) by decision (15-12)
5^th Place: Hunter Fulp (Patrick & Henry) def. Edward Lauritsen (LC) by decision (9-2)
 
133
Qtrs: Kyle Pickard (Camden) def. Carlos Cruz (LC) by fall (2:41)
Consy: Matt Lombardo (Garrett) def. Carlos Cruz (LC) by fall (1:59)
 
141
R16: Maddox Crowe (Patrick & Henry) def. Anthony D'Angelis (LC) by fall (1:32)
Consy: Danny Ramirez (Middlesex) def. Anthony D'Angelis (LC) by fall (1:19)
 
149
Qtrs: Vinny Robles (RCSJ Gloucester) def. Felix Mendez (LC) by fall (1:42)
Consy: Felix Mendez (LC) def. Jack Higuero Justo (Union) by fall (1:11)
Consy-Semi: Ryan Findlay (Thaddeus) def. Felix Mendez (LC) by fall (2:06)
5^th Place: Felix Mendez (LC) def. Sauzer Ayoub (Bergen) by fall (5:58)
 
165
Semis: Dylan Hogan (LC) def. Cole Stuchal (Garrett) by tech. fall (18-3)
Finals: Cole Pfeufer (Bergen) def. Dylan Hogan (LC) by tech. fall (16-1)
 
174
Qtrs: John Koroma (LC) def. Landon Angel (RCSJ Gloucester) by fall (1:12)
Semis: John Koroma (LC) def. Shawn Pawlowski (Sussex) by tech. fall (20-4)
Finals: John Koroma (LC) def. Tyberious Clayton (Garrett) by tech. fall (21-6)
 
197
Qtrs: Simeon Hunte (LC) def. Conner Hughes (Garrett) by fall (0:27)
Semis: Simeon Hunte (LC) def. Davian Waite (Thaddeus) by decision (8-4)
Finals: Simeon Hunte (LC) def. Michaels Marin (Bergen) by decision (10-3)
 
285
Qtrs: Shannon Clark (LC) def. Xavier Delgado (Bergen) by fall (2:44)
Semis: Shannon Clark (LC) def. Shane Saulnier (Sussex) by fall (4:19)
Finals: Shannon Clark (LC) def. Peyton Wentzel (Thaddeus) by major decision (18-4)